By Charles Igbo
It is difficult to know, or imagine, how, or what, Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, is feeling now.
Does he have any regrets that he spoke the way he spoke on February 13 immediately after the Supreme Court sacked, and stopped the swearing-in of then Governor-elect of Bayelsa State, David Lyon on February 14.
On the 13th, the apex court had shocked the APC and Lyon by asking the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to withdraw the Certificate of Return, given to Lyon, and give same to the second runner-up in the election, declaring the votes of the APC candidate as null and void.
The Supreme Court hinged its verdict on the fact the that the then Deputy Governor-elect, Biobarakuma Degi-Eriemenyo presented forged educational certificates to INEC, for the eletion.
The PDP reaped from the nullification, as it was its candidate, Douye Diri, who came second.
The shock was too much for the APC and its Chairman, Oshiomhole, to bear. And, in a reaction that shocked decent Nigerians, and exposed Oshiomhole for what he is – an emotional, careless talker – he swore that Diri was not going to be sworn-in as governor, that nobody was going to be sworn-in as governor; that Bayelsa would have no governor.
Embarrassed that the National Chairman of the ruling party could descend that low, the fiery governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, a lawyer, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to call Oshiomhole to order, and stop him from trying to destabilise the country.
It was Oshiomhole’s response to Wike’s call that has now pushed Wike into exposing him as never before.
In responding to Wike, Oshiomhole had called him a violent politician. He also said that Wike was trying to curry favour from the PDP, (Wike’s party), and from the immediate past governor of Bayelsa state, Seriake Dickson, who Wike had a spat with over oil wells. He also refered to himself as an antelope, and Wike, as a tortise .
Oshiomhole’s response began his problem. He should have known, not a few people are now saying, that responding to Wike is like touching a lion on its tail. Its like rushing an active volcano.
For, Wike, not one to suffer fools gladly, responded mercilessly, and exposed Oshiomhole for what a number of people think and say about him behind closed doors.
He called him an electoral cheat, one without any verifiable academic certificate, a chameleon, corrupt, dubious, one without character, and ungrateful. Wike also disclosed that from wearing Khaki, Oshiomhole, a former NLC leader, now wears Biafran suits which buttons are diamonds. He revealed why he, Wike, stopped attending the National Economic Council, NEC, meetings. He stopped, he said, because, Oshiomhole does nothing but to run former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan down, a man, who without him, Wike said, Oshiomhole won’t have been governor, and who Oshiomhole, before Buhari’s era, was praising to high heavens.
Following, Governor Wike’s whitewash of Oshiomhole, at a press conference he held at the Government House, Port Hacourt, on Saturday, February the 15th.
Wike : “It’s unfortunate that Oshiomhole will use that word to say a tortoise challenging an antelope, in describing me. It’s like saying in a country where Chimpanzee can be anything. How can Oshiomhole compare himself to me?
” I’m well read. I am lawyer. I am a life bencher. I have my first degree in Political Science, and my second degree in Law. I went to the Nigerian law school, and I passed very well. Let Oshiomhole tell me which University he attended.
“As a unionist, he enriched himself. How did he become the Governor of Edo State? Who doesn’t know? It’s just the country that we are in. People who cannot boast of any certificate can be National Chairman.
“Let Oshiomhole tell me one university he attended. I attended the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State University and did my NYSC in old Gongola State.
“How dare he open his mouth and call himself an antelope. Oshiomhole has become an antelope because he is the National Chairman of a ruling party. It’s now a ruling party because they told Nigerian lies.
“Let Oshiomhole come out and tell us his background except that he became a Governor through a dubious way, and that was what led to the amendment of the electoral act that says Governorship matter in terms of the election, will not end at the Court of Appeal, but will get to the Supreme court.
“I was a Local Government Chairman, Chief of Staff, a Minister and a Governor, and by the Grace of God, a second time serving Governor.
“Adams Oshiomhole in view of his failure to stop the inauguration of Bayelsa State Governor as he boasted, should resign.
“This is a country where you see people who do not have character. Today they sing one song, tomorrow they sing another song. I think Oshiomhole, as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, is not a character that anybody should associate with.
“First of all, I have never been violent and I will never be violent. However, when you see an armed robber come to your house, will you plead with the armed robber and say, please I beg you leave my house.
“People think that armed robbers are only those who cart away people’s money. The worst form of armed robbery is when you steal people’s mandate and just like what Oshiomhole is noted for. He thinks because he’s in the ruling party, he can use security people to steal the mandate of the people.
“He was taught a lesson, a bitter lesson, and I want to repeat, if you come to steal our mandate, the people will respond accordingly. They will oppose your stealing of their mandate and so, Oshiomhole thinks that because he is in the ruling party, nobody should say anything, or do anything.
“Stealing is not only when you go to rob a bank. The worst form of armed robbery is when you steal the mandate of the people.
“Oshiomhole cannot lay claim to having canvassed for one man, one vote because he is not practising the philosophy.
“I stopped attending the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting because Oshiomhole turned it into a forum to bash former President Goodluck Jonathan, when, indeed, he had earlier gone to praise Jonathan at Aso Villa for ensuring credible elections.
“When Jonathan made sure the election was free and fair, Oshiomhole went to the Villa and thanked Jonathan. When Jonathan left office, one of the reasons why I stopped going to NEC meeting when Oshiomhole was governor, is because of Oshiomhole.
“When Jonathan left, there was no day at the NEC meeting Oshiomhole will not bring Jonathan down. Meanwhile, that was the same man Oshiomhole went to praise for allowing one-man, one-vote. But when the man left, Oshiomhole changed. That is his character.
“Oshiomhole became Governor through questionable means. The questionable emergence of Oshiomhole led to the constitutional amendment for Governorship matters to terminate at the Supreme Court.
“Nigerians know one matter that led to the amendment of the electoral act where Governorship election has to go to the Supreme Court is because of the Oshiomhole matter.
“So he cannot come out and say he was clean in terms of electoral process. That will be very bad.
“Oshiomhole said he fought godfatherism and, at the same time, he wants to install himself as a godfather in Edo state. Why is he fighting Obaseki? It is because the man doesn’t take instructions from him. He preaches what he doesn’t practice.
“Oshiomhole lacks the powers to challenge the pronouncement of the Supreme Court.
“Oshiomhole’s talk questioning my membership of PDP is the unintelligent talk of an illiterate. I am a strong and unrepentant member of the PDP.
“That I speak my mind at all times does not mean that my membership of PDP is in doubt. I am not at the same level with Oshiomhole. What Oshiomhole is doing is to regain the confidence of APC Governors and leaders.
“I will not be a member of their party, I have always been a member of PDP, and they know that. Oshiomhole knows that his party does not even score up to 25 percent in my state. He cannot tell me that. There is a saying in my place, “somebody who has nothing to say, he says ‘see how you are’ “. So Oshiomhole has nothing to say about me. And I want to tell him that his party is probing him about the so called hospital he says he built. I am not the one.
“So he should face his problems. Shame should be on him that at the end of the day, the PDP candidate has been sworn-in as the governor of Bayelsa state. You can’t come out and open your mouth and say it will never happen. Now it has happened.
“If I were him I will resign, I will leave. I am not his friend, so he cannot say: my friend.
“How can I be a friend to somebody who will say one thing today, tomorrow he says another thing. In the night he visits so so person, that’s not me. When I want to see you, I see you in the day time. Oshiomhole visits people at night. It is very very unfortunate for him, and I pity him. All his efforts to regain his chairmanship has failed.
“All he is doing today is because the governors and some leaders of his party are saying that this man cannot lead our party. Oshiomhole has failed. He is a man who opens his mouth anyhow. And this should be his last time. The moment he goes further, then he will know that Rivers state is not what he thinks it is. We will tell him where he belongs. I will tell him where he goes to in the night, and where he goes in the day time.”
“This man was very corrupt, as he used proceeds from workers to build his political career. Oshiomhole claimed he was a unionist. He said he worked in the textile industry. Mention one man who worked in the textile industry, and is as rich as Oshiomhole today. He used to wear ordinary Khaki, today he wears Safari with diamond buttons. Simply because I said Oshiomhole cannot destabilize this country, who the hell is Oshiomhole to say that nobody can be sworn-in when the Supreme Court court has made a pronouncement whether good or bad.
“Oshiomhole had the audacity to say nobody will be sworn in, in Bayelsa state, causing crisis in the country and nobody wants to call him to order but for people like us in Rivers State.
“Because of people like Oshiomhole and his style of leadership, his party lost so many areas they ought not to have lost.
“What made them not to have candidates in Rivers State and Zamfara, its because of Oshiomhole.
“Oshiomhole led to the problem they have in Bayelsa. Oshiomhole takes from two sides. He is not a man of integrity and nobody should take him seriously.
“It is not my position to say the Supreme Court verdict is right or wrong, but Oshiomhole cannot open his wide mouth to say it cannot never happen and now, it has happened, what will he do? Don’t destabilize the country. Don’t cause crisis for this country. You may be closer to the President, but that is not the way to retain your position as Chairman of the party because Oshiomhole doesn’t have the support of most of the Governors because of his style of leadership and it is very clear, so Oshiomhole doesn’t have the right to tell me that I am a man of violence.
“Oshiomhole came from the background of an armed robber to steal the vote of Rivers people and we defended our vote, and Oshiomhole is ashamed that we defended our vote and we still defend our vote till tomorrow. Rivers State is not like his State, Edo, where he can talk to anybody the way he likes.
“This should be the last time Oshiomhole should open his mouth and talk to anybody in Rivers State. We are not at the same level in terms of education.
“Rivers State is not like Edo state where you bring down a sitting Governor because he wants to install another Governor. It depends on the people of Edo State to allow that, but for Rivers State, we will not allow anybody who wants to be a godfather”, Governor Wike warned.
